School Of Seduction
by pleasing-phoebe
Summary: When a new vampire enrols in the academy, she seems to take everything in her stride including seducing the boys. So what happens when she meets her match?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Change Comes Fast.

"Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day…" Marty's voice drifted through the halls of the basement as he sat up in his coffin. With a contented sigh, he smiled to himself. "Full moon never looked so good!" Leaping out of his coffin, he sauntered down the empty halls. The others obviously weren't awake yet, and he relished the silence, but not without a small pang of solitude. Vampires, he knew, were a solitary race by nature, but as he watched Essie, Karl, Drew and Merrill getting closer to each other, he often felt lonely. He rapped on the lids of the coffins, proclaiming loudly,

"Wakey wakey, rise and shine! The moon is up and the blood is fresh!"

"Marty, a word of advice." Karl's voice came up through his coffin, sounding sleepy. "Shut the hell up, I'm sleeping here!" Marty rolled his eyes and made his way to the hall.

When everyone had met in the hall Dr Murdoch came down looking particularly serious.

"I have an announcement to make, students. We have a new arrival coming, and I want you to make her welcome." Essie, who had been doing her hair, looked at Murdoch sceptically.

"A newbie? Why wasn't she put on the scheme before?"

"She has proven herself to be… elusive. She managed to evade all further attempts at contact, but the Elders found her maker. He will be bringing her here anytime… well, anytime now." As is on cue, there came a flash on the CCTV screen. There was a youthful looking man, clutching at the wrist of a flailing blonde. She was scratching, biting, kicking and hitting the man, and Murdoch hastened to his study. The other vampires followed suit, intrigued by this new arrival. Who was she, and why had it taken so long to find her?

"Calm yourself child!" The man struck the girl across the face, drawing blood. She gasped and slumped onto a chair looking defeated. "You are so stupid! Can you not see the opportunity being presented to you? Are you that ignorant?? Did I raise you so badly?" The girl remained silent as he shouted at her, and he was only quietened when Murdoch put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think that is enough, Lestat. She knows what you think." The man nodded, and slunk away into a corner. "Now then, who do we have here?" Murdoch gently pushed back the curtain of blonde curls, and smiled as the other vampires gasped.

She was the most beautiful female Marty had ever seen. Her features were brilliant and bright, in a stark contrast to her pale skin. Her green eyes shone with a dark fire, disturbing yet alluring, and her blood red lips were set in a seductive pout. Her ears were pierced three times, and once in the cartilage, and a small ruby stud was set in her nose. As her hand moved up to her face, tucking the hair behind her ear, there was a flash of black ink on her wrist.

A tattoo? Karl had never thought about the possibility of a vampire getting a tattoo. It seemed strange that she should do something like that, now that her body was technically dead and all. Perhaps she had got it done before she was made… He let his mind wander over the possibilities, and let his eyes wander over her body. A large black cloak was draped over her shoulders, and she gently slid it off at Murdoch's request, revealing a black silk dress with a tight bodice. Her chest was gently heaving from her exertions, and Karl noticed how pale she still was, even at her throat. There was no rosy flush visible anywhere on her body, just the ivory white skin, with the marblesque finish. She stood up to go and hang the cloak on a peg, and Karl witnessed her most devastating weapon – her smile.

Drew could've sworn that he'd melted there and then. Even with Sherry's death still so close to his heart, one look at that smile and his world crumbled around him. She moved gracefully across the floor, her feet seeming to barely move under the floor-length gown she was wearing. He noticed how slim she was, and how well she carried off the willowy frame she had been given. If there was one thing that put him off a girl, it had to be gauntness. The receding flesh look never had done anything for him.

As Merrill read the girl's mind, she was frightened by the power and intelligence that the pretty little face secretly harboured. But there was terror there too; memories of fire, the scents of scorched flesh and burnt hair, the psychological imprint of a blood-curdling scream. The farther Merrill delved, the more she felt she should stop; yet she could not or would not allow herself to. She felt a certain pride in being the only one of her peers to know these dark secrets, and she hungered for more.

Paris! That dress simply _had_ to have come from Paris! Essie silently fumed. Dr Murdoch never let her buy such pretty things, and he always said that she was not allowed to order things from other countries. Mansfield Academy just wasn't rich enough to do such things, and questions would be asked if he did start ordering dresses and skirts and blouses – he could be fired, and then where would the vampires go? She went through his old spiel in her mind, sorely tempted to roll her eyes, but she stopped herself. They looked about the same size… perhaps if she befriended this new girl, she could borrow the clothes! As she watched the vampire walk back over to the chair she had been seated in, Essie smiled to herself. Yes, that's what she would do. Make nice with the newbie. It couldn't be all that hard after all…

"So, tell us about yourself." Murdoch smiled at the young woman in front of him as he eased himself in to the chair behind his desk. She looked up at him, and he saw the sadness in her eyes, behind the anger and pride. His heart bled for her.

"My name is Alyssa. I was made into what I am in November 1963, by that monster." She pointed at the vampire called Lestat, her hand shaking slightly, and he shrugged nonchalantly. They both spoke with the same French accent, and he said sweetly,

"Are you saying I should regret what I did to you, _cherie_? Have I not given you everything you could ever desire? Have you forgotten it was I who saved you from that wretched existence you called a life?" He strolled over to her, and stroked her cheek, smiling slightly as she turned from him.

"What do you mean?" Murdoch's forehead creased with confusion, and Alyssa took a breath. With that, she began.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Same Old Story.

"I was born in 1945, into a poor family from Louisiana. My parents were descended from the original settlers, but they had fallen upon hard times somewhere along the line, and my great-great grandpapa had to sell the farm. We lived in basic lodgings, 'we' being my parents, myself, and my five brothers. It wasn't our property though; we lived in the basement of some rich family's house that my mother worked in. I guess we were no different to any of the other poor kids of that time, other than the fact that we all spoke French fluently. We went to school if we felt so inclined, we rolled in the muddy dirt track play-fighting, and we spent all our time with the black kids from the swamps behind our house. The black nursery maid, Caroline, was always my best friend though. She had four kids, living in this little shack near the swamp, and I used to pretend I was part of their family. They were better to me than mine ever was.

"Perhaps I should explain. Papa was away a lot, being a travelling salesman and all, and my mama never stopped working. That family was just plain mean to my mama; she was always scrubbing their floors and busting her hump over their washing. Many's the time I'd curse them for keeping her up till all hours of the day, doing menial jobs she didn't have to do.

"As soon as he was old enough, my brother Sean moved to New Orleans. He said he could make something of himself there, and I trusted him. We were close, you see, and he promised that he would send for me as soon as he had a little money. It was then that I made my greatest mistake.

"I had got a letter from him, telling me that he had married into money, and could now have me to stay. I did not hesitate to pack my bags. My father was fighting, and my mother hadn't noticed a thing I'd done in years. I didn't shed a tear, other than for Caroline and her family, who had taken me in as one of their own even though they had no money to feed themselves. I left her $20 in a bleach cup before I boarded the train for New Orleans. By the time I disembarked, I had become what you see before you."

The abrupt end shocked her avid listeners, and they broke from their trance as Lestat clapped mockingly.

"Ah, beautiful! So fair of face, and so fair of speech also. I had forgotten that about you, _cherie_…" He sneered as her face contorted into a mask of hatred, and he stood up languidly from where he had been leaning against the desk. "But now, I think perhaps it is my time to leave, no? After all, you have new friends here…" He trailed off, indicating the other vampires with a limp hand. "Did you say your goodbyes to Louis? He will miss you dreadfully you know."

"I have nothing left to say to him, if that is what you mean," said Alyssa haughtily. "After all, I have new friends now." Her mocking tone caused Lestat's face to flash with anger, before he calmed himself down. Drawing himself up to his full height, he looked at Murdoch.

"Be careful with her. She is as deadly, cunning, seductive and treacherous as she is beautiful." He bowed low to Essie and Merrill, taking their hands and kissing them both with a flourish, before leaving the study and slamming the door behind him. Alyssa spat after him, and muttered a curse under her breath.

"That's quite enough of that, Mademoiselle," said Murdoch quietly. "This is a school, and we have rules here. Your pride will have to come second I'm afraid." Alyssa turned and suddenly looked directly at him, seeming far away.

"Yes… I suppose it shall have to." Murdoch shuffled uncomfortably for a second under the intensity of her gaze, and looked at Drew.

"Drew! How would you like to show our new student around?" Drew snapped almost to attention, and nodded.

"I'd be honoured. Drew French," he said, extending his hand for her to shake. She took it, and her smile changed back into its former softness. "It would be my pleasure to show you around our fine establishment."

"So well spoken, Mr French," she said, looking at Murdoch once again. "My, you do teach these pupils well Dr Murdoch!"

"Why thank you." As Drew escorted the new arrival out of the study and down into the cellar, the other vampires began to chatter excitedly.

"Now that's what I call a woman!" Karl exclaimed. "Did you see that figure? That poise? That attitude? That face?"

"That rack?" Marty said with a grin.

"Trust you to belittle our entire gender to our base qualities, Marty," Merrill said, her face clouded into a disapproving gaze.

"Yeah Marty," chimed in Essie. "We don't say that about men, do we?"

"I beg to differ."

"Oh yeah? Where's your proof?"

"Case study numero uno – the BDPA agent that came in undercover." Essie's pale face took on a shade of pink, and Marty smiled triumphantly.

"Men one, women nil." He high-fived a grinning Karl and looked back at Essie challengingly.

"The game's only just beginning Marty," Essie said dangerously. "It's gonna be a long time until this is over. And I think the new kid may just be the one to help us win."

"…And here we are back in the halls," Drew said as he completed his tour of the night school. "What do you think?"

"I think the digs suck," Alyssa said, coming up behind him and resting her chin on his shoulder gently, whispering, "But the company seems to be satisfactory…" She slunk round Drew and stood in front of him, with a sultry smile on her lips. Drew smiled back, feeling himself start to weaken.

"Oh yeah? I guess you'll have to wait and see, huh?"

"Depends on how long you're willing to wait…" Alyssa said, and she made her way to the portal which was letting in the moonlight. She stood underneath it, letting the light drench her skin. "Don't you think the best feeling in the world is the moonlight against your skin?" She tipped her head to the side and closed her eyes, running her hands down her body. Drew swallowed hard, and watched fascinated as she slowly surrendered herself to the pale light.

"Um yeah… it's great," he said, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to pick a spot for your coffin?"

"Right here," she murmured, pointing at her feet, "where I can feel the moonlight as soon as I wake up."

"That might be a bad decision… you're right under the sunlight too." She opened her eyes and gazed at him, smiling again.

"My neck's in the noose huh? But hey, I enjoy the intense."

"Oh yeah?" Drew gently pulled her towards him and put his hands on her waist. "I can do intense…" Bending his head, his lips sought hers and he kissed her carefully. He felt her arms wrap around his neck and she relaxed into the kiss. Drew gently started to push her backwards towards the wall, and just as her back touched the cold stone there was a loud crashing. Drew sprang away from Alyssa, who was still leaning against the column, and looked at the figure on the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – My Way.

Merrill looked stunned, stood in the archway as she gazed upon the two. Slowly, she felt her hands clench into fists as Drew tried to regain his composure. Alyssa gently tidied her lipstick where it had smudged and smiled at Merrill.

"Drew was just showing me how you do things around here."

"Look, Merrill, I can explain…" Drew felt the words tumble clumsily from his mouth and pointed at the floor. "She was… and then she… and I said… and then suddenly…"

"Don't bother, Drew. I know what you were doing." Merrill's eyes filled with tears and she rushed out of the hall and back up to the study to rejoin the others.

"What was all that about?" Alyssa seemed genuinely bemused, and looked at Drew puzzled.

"She loves me," Drew said apologetically. "I'm sorry; it wasn't my place to do that."

"Oh no honey, it's okay! It was really nice to be welcomed like that," she said with a smile. "But you shouldn't let me get so into the moonlight like that, I do things I'm probably going to regret. It takes me a while to adjust to new places you see." Smoothing down her hair and clothes, she made to go back upstairs, but Drew held her back.

"Before you go back up there, you should know something. Don't mess with the relationships we have here okay? They took a long time to form." Alyssa nodded slightly, and ran up the stairs to the study. Drew touched his lips gently as he watched her go – the feeling after that kiss was just like after he'd drunk blood; refreshing and natural. Addictive.

Later on, tucking her hair behind her ears, Alyssa let Dr Murdoch's words wash over her. It was her first night here, and he was most disappointed that she had already begun seducing students. If she wanted to stay here at Mansbridge, then she needed to buck her ideas up for sure. He paused to let her speak.

"I understand, Dr Murdoch. I'm sorry about that, but I really have no idea how it happened. One minute we were talking, and then I went and looked at the moonlight and then…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked at Murdoch. He nodded, and opened an old book on his desk.

"What you experience most evenings is a phenomenon most commonly known as Lunar Lust. You absorb the moonlight, and something primal inside you gives you the urge to mate with another vampire. It's nothing to worry about; just try to avoid direct moonlight for a while. It awakens that most primal of instincts – the instinct to survive." He smiled kindly, and motioned for her to leave. She lingered a moment, and said quietly,

"I'm sorry to have troubled you like this already, Doctor. I know Lestat will have told you I'm no good, but… I do try."

"I'm sure you do, my dear. If you have any worries, don't hesitate to come and talk to me." Walking over to the coat of arms hanging on the wall, he moved it to the side and the secret door opened to reveal the steps leading to the vampires' home.

"Good night!" She said cheerfully as she made her way down the steps.

"And to you, Mademoiselle." He watched her make her way down, and shut the door when she reached the bottom. He would have to keep a close eye on her.

Karl was the only one still awake by the time she came downstairs, and he pushed a packet of blood over the table towards her.

"You in much trouble with Murdoch?" Alyssa sat down on a chair and shook her head.

"Apparently I've just got a bad case of Lunar Lust. I'm to avoid direct moonlight over long periods of time, else I get… well, let's say I get a few primal urges." She blushed and tore the packet open with her teeth, sipping the blood delicately.

"Lunar Lust, eh? Don't let Marty hear about that, he'll place you under that portal every night until you jump into his coffin with him." She laughed, and he smiled as the tinkling laughter filled the hall.

"Oh please don't! That is just unappealing to me on so many levels." She sipped a little more from the packet, and put it down on the table. "I'm sorry; I'm really bad with names. Who are you again?"

"I'm Karl Todd. I'm the youngest here," he said, slightly dolefully. "I was only made last Hallowe'en you see."

"You look much older though," Alyssa said, putting her hand on his. "I didn't think you were young blood, if you'll excuse the pun."

"Excused, and thank you. Marty knew from the second he saw me."

"This Marty doesn't seem very nice to me, from what I've heard. I'll form my own opinion, but I haven't known him long enough yet." Karl looked at her hand, and gently stroked it with his thumb.

"I just don't feel good enough, you know?" Alyssa nodded sympathetically and a strand of her hair fell over her eye unnoticed.

"All new vampires feel like that; have you heard of my maker's reputation? That's a lot to live up to, believe me." Karl reached across and moved the hair from her eye, smiling.

"Well, when you look like that I'm sure you have them all kissing your feet," he said, slightly enviously. "And plus, all the guys here think you're hot!"

"You think I'm hot? Wow, I think I'm flattered… I think." She blushed slightly, and Karl grinned.

"It's a compliment, especially from Drew."

"Yeah, what's his deal? He seems really distant and cold… wait, am I being too intrusive for my first night?"

"The hell you are! Drew's a little testy right now because he just lost the love of his life. A mortal called Sherry… she came to this school." Alyssa nodded sombrely, and then smiled, revealing her fangs.

"Was it bloody? Could you smell it from all the way down here?" Karl shook his head, taken slightly aback at how primal she really was.

"It was disease, he didn't take her."

"Crying shame that," she said, pulling a mirror out of an invisible pocket and examining her fangs carefully. "I need to file these guys so bad…"

Karl had never realised that looking at your teeth could be so seductive. He saw them as a necessary instrument, not a way of showing sexual prowess or whether you were datable or not. But after that evening, he changed his mind.

"So, what's your special ability?"

"Sorry honey?"

"You know: Drew can sense heat, Merrill can read minds, Essie's a hypnotist, Marty's telekinetic… what can you do?" Without looking up, Alyssa pointed at a waste paper basket.

"Watch the trash can," she said and while she was still looking in the mirror, the small wicker basket burst into flames. Karl moved further away from the basket, and Alyssa wiggled her nose gently. As suddenly as it had begun, the fire was out.

"Okay, were you trying to kill me?! Fire kills vampires, or didn't your almighty maker tell you that??"

"Karl," Alyssa's voice was sweet; too sweet. It hid the slight annoyance that was growing in her chest. "I have power over elements. That's fire, water, air and earth. I was not trying to kill you, so stop crying wolf." With that, she pushed her chair back and made her way back over to her coffin to sleep, leaving Karl with the smouldering basket.


End file.
